Rosh Hashanna Side Dish

So I have a few vegtarians coming for erev yontiff dinner. I would like to prepare a dish that is substantial enough to serve as the vegetarian main course and side dish for everyone else. Would like to have something with protein as one of my vegetarian guests is diabetic. I have made shakshuka or quinoa (which works better for a side dish).in the past, but would like to try something new. Any suggestions?

Warm Butternut and Chickpea Salad with Tahini DressingAdapted from Orangette, who adapted it from Casa Moro....recipe given to us from an oh so talented friend who must have been a master chef in a past life...thanks Sharon! This salad is one of those few that actually get better the next day making it a perfect Shabbas/multi day chag special.

In a large bowl, combine the butternut squash, garlic, allspice, olive oil, and a few pinches of salt. Toss the squash pieces until evenly coated. Roast them on a baking sheet for 25 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the oven and cool.

Meanwhile, make the tahini dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic and lemon juice. Add the tahini, and whisk to blend. Add the water and olive oil, whisk well, and taste for seasoning. The sauce should have plenty of nutty tahini flavor, but also a little kick of lemon. You will probably need to add more water to thin it out.

To assemble the salad, combine the squash, chickpeas, onion, and cilantro or parsley in a mixing bowl. Either add the tahini dressing to taste, and toss carefully, or you could serve the salad with the dressing on the side. Serve immediately.

Do ahead:this salad, lightly dressed, keeps beautifully in the fridge, that you should hold a little of the dressing on the side and that it can be served hot or cold. For a bit of variation, we have mixed it with any of the following: toasted farro, quinoa, watercress or arugula. Sweet potatos, yams or pumpkin can also replace the but-nut very easily. Enjoy!

I am in the midst of making this recipe, sort of. I am planning on using the squash and chickpeas, and am adding spelt berries. However, I do not like tahina, so I was wondering if anyone had a suggestion for a different dressing. I can always use my old stand-by, which is a mixture of oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, & OJ, but thought I'd ask if anyone had any other suggestions.

I always omit the ground turkey, and you can use vegetable stock or water instead of the chicken stock. You could probably use brown basmati rice, also, which may have a slightly lower glycemic index and thus perhaps a little bit better for the person who is diabetic. One can each of the black beans and chickpeas is a lot (2 cans of each was an excessive amount of beans). 1/4 tsp of cayenne is more than enough. A Moroccan friend of mine really struggled with the heat when I first made it with the 1 tsp as initially outlined in the recipe.

The margin note in my copy reads "spectacular" because it is. I like it better substituting 1" cubes of butternut squash for the medley of carrots, sweet potato, turnips and butternut the recipe indicates.

This is a Moroccan spiced dish of chickpeas in a tomato/root vegetable sauce. The sauce works beautifully as a side dish with both red meat and chicken. And it makes a protein-rich main dish for vegans.

mrsphud, you might seek out the help of folks on the Special Diets board, too. I can tell you that the most diabetic-friendly bean is the black soy bean. Healthy as they are, chick peas, white beans, etc, are not necessarily the friends of people with diabetes. As for vegetarian dishes.,